Whatís wrong with eggheads?

During the 1952 presidential
campaign, in which Adlai Stevenson ran against Dwight Eisenhower, a new
derogatory word for intellectualism entered the English patois: egghead.

Presumably the term found its
derivation in the somewhat egg-shaped head of Stevenson, who was, in
addition, quite bald. That, combined with Stevensonís erudition and
intellect, led Republicans to brand Stevenson as an elitist and out of touch
with ordinary mortals, most of whom were evidently short on brains and hence
more attracted to the stammering, incoherent speech of Eisenhower.† That, combined with the notion that
military heroics always overcome peacenikky intellectualism gave Eisenhower
an easy victory.†

Once again this year, the
eggheadedness of Barack Obama (though hardly bald) has become a hot topic.
Again and again weíre told that Obama appeals to the young, to blacks and to
those with a college education Ė more eggheads Ė as though this were some
badge of dishonor. God forbid that we elect someone who appeals to those who
have the educational wherewithal to think reasonably, understand historical
contexts and come to rational conclusions.

God forbid even more that we
elect someone who sailed through HarvardLawSchool,
edited the Harvard Law Review and can speak in sentences that do not result
in an utter embarrassment to the country and its leadership.††

No, better that we cook up yet
another sort of pie and slice up the country into adversative units that pit
those who are educated against middle class workers, mostly white, who
apparently would vote for anyone but a black intellectual.†

While someone like Jon Stewart
can use his bully pulpit to proclaim that he would, for a change, like to
have a president who is smarter than he, the fact is that anti-intellectualism
is solidly rooted in this country. We evidently donít like people who are
smarter than we are, and we certainly view with suspicion anyone who has
received a doctorate in anything other than medicine.

Part of the problem lies with
our contemporary public education system, which has radically dumbed down
what constitutes real learning for the sake of standardized tests, whose
results are so oblique as to be meaningless. Despite what test scores tell
us, the vast majority of our educational products canít read or make other
than literal sense out of great works of literature. They have no ability
whatsoever to analyze plots or characterization. They wouldnít know what you
meant by the structure of a work if it bit them on the nose.†

As for history, or placing
events or movements in an historical context, forget it. They have no idea
who Woodrow Wilson was, and whatís more they donít care. Ever heard of
Pericles or Pompey? Not on your life. Theyíre not on the test.†

And the idea of rational
thought patterns as evidenced by an ability to learn math or a foreign
language is swill for the hogs. Hell, without a computer or a calculator,
these kids canít add 11 and 17 and come up with 28.††

For students today, educators
are the enemy. Theyíre people to be contended with, to poke fun at or to sass
in class. Zeus help a teacher who dares to give homework and expects students
to have it ready to go the next day in class. Itís just not going to happen.

Little wonder, then, that those
few who have taken their educational opportunities seriously are viewed with
suspicion, if not derision, by those who look upon required schooling as an
imposition on their time. Letís face it, anti-intellectualism is built into
our school systems, and, for the most part, busy parents could care
less.†

Add to that an administration
that scoffs at expertise in any given field and fills its ranks with
intellectual quacks, political cronies and religious nuts, as though to put
the seal of approval on stupidity, and what can you expect from the public at
large?†

It seems to me that itís about
time for an egghead in the White House. Itís time for someone to appear who
will not only put to good use his own educational experience, but will also
serve as a model for what hard work in the classroom can achieve.

Let us indeed have a president
who is smarter than we are. And let us have a president who surrounds himself
with experts well-educated in foreign policy, domestic policy, and, yes,
education.

Economically we are fast
approaching the status of a third world country. We produce virtually nothing
anymore and rely on consumer spending to keep whatís left of our economy
afloat.

Perhaps itís time to reject
third world leadership and turn to someone who has at least a modicum of
rationality and, yes, eggheadedness. He certainly couldnít be any worse than
what we have now.†††